Defence of the Handler

Duration of the exercise: 10 seconds
Breakdown of the points 20 p attack
10 p guard and recall
 
The exercise is based upon nine (9) principals:
1. There will always be a preliminary meeting (a handshake) between the Decoy and handler, with or without conversation. The handler may respond to the Decoy’s greeting with a very ordinary tone of voice. The judge may prohibit the handle from responding to the decoy after initial greeting, i.e. not say anything during the exercise.
2. The difficulty created for the dog will be increased progressively, according to the level.
3. At each level, the Decoy’s aggression will be clear and evident, and made with both hands.
4. At the moment of aggression, the Decoy and handler will remain motionless for 2 sec. If the dog bites within 2 sec, they will resume normal work; if the dog does not bite during the 2 sec, the Judge will stop the exercise.
5. The dog must only react if his master is the aggressed upon.
6. The handshake must be made by the Decoy, who is the aggressor.
7. The scenario for Defence of the Handler, as well as off leash heel, will be explained to all competitors only once, at the passage of the Dog in White. Modifications and additional explanations may be given after the Dog in White, at the request of a handler’s representative.
8. The use of accessories must not become a provocation to the dog or handler, only to protect himself or forestall the protection of the handler.
9. Decoy must not try to lure away the dog intentionally but must follow the predetermined route during the Dog in White. The judge will decide if the dog can be lured away by the decoy up to a distance of 10 meters. Handler needs to keep the dog beside them, to the left or right but not between their legs unless they are not moving. There will always be a handshake but not always a dialogue. Both decoys can shake the handler’s hand. Judge can insist that handler not speak after the initial command.
 
The handler can respond normally at the initial greeting if not told to do otherwise, otherwise he/she will not say a word. Decoy will not provoke before the handshake. After the handshake, in a scenario with two decoys, the decoy who will not hit must never find themselves less than 3m from the handler during diversions that look like provocation. A dog that does not ‘out’ will lose at most 10 points (one second delay for out is allowed); 20 points are kept for the bite portion; all the rest of the points are cumulative. If the dog does not react within 2 seconds of the hit, all points will be lost. It is important to note the difference between not reacting and a delay to reach the bite. A delay to bite because of an obstacle or odd placement is allowed.
 
The Decoy must strike the handler and hold the strike for 2 s. during which time the dog must bite. During the Defense of Handler, the handler must stay at least 3 m from the Decoy, until after the “out” command and return of the dog to heel.
 
A distinction is made after the handshake (with the aggressing decoy) between a cheap shot quick bite and a full bite. The penalty will be -2 instead of -2/m up to the place of the aggression. For any bite on the wrong decoy the exercise is lost.